pandour

[ pan-doo r ]
/ ˈpæn dʊər /

noun

History/Historical. a member of a local militia in Croatia, formed as a regiment in the Austrian army in the 18th century and noted for its ruthlessness and cruelty.
a brutal, marauding soldier.

Origin of pandour

1740–50; < French pandour(e) ≪ Serbo-Croatian pàndūr community or city policeman, pandour, probably < Hungarian pandúr < Slavic *pǫdarĭ (> Serbo-Croatian pùdār one who guards a vineyard), derivative of *pǫditi to drive off, frighten; the Serbo-Croatian variant bàndūr (17th century) may result from crossing with Medieval Latin banderia or Italian bandiera troop, literally, banner

Example sentences from the Web for pandour

British Dictionary definitions for pandour

pandour
/ (ˈpændʊə) /

noun

one of an 18th-century force of Croatian soldiers in the Austrian service, notorious for their brutality

Word Origin for pandour

C18: via French from Hungarian pandur, from Croat: guard, probably from Medieval Latin banderius summoner, from bannum ban 1